Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Mothers in Literature Addendum

I just finished The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff (on audiobook after spending Mother's Day with my mommy), and while the full review is still peculating and a day or two away, I want to spend just a minute thinking about Vi Upton: mother of the protagonist, single mom, ex-hippie turned Baptist, critical care nurse, and all-around Empress of Awesomeness.

Vi serves as catalyst and judge for the story. When her daughter, Willie, comes home from college pregnant and spiraling into the depths of a crisis of conscience, Vi pushes Willie into a full on identity crisis. Vi reveals that Willie is not the product of bad decisions in a free-love commune, but the child of a respected member of the Templeton community. She then sets Willie on a quest through the family history to learn the truth.

Vi is not perfect, and while she is put together enough that her quirks read as endearing more often than neurotic, there is certainly a touch of neurotic/ fanatic lurking under the surface to give Vi an edge.